Unit 022 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 1,517 sq mi
Draw hunts — squared bonus points
Every hunt here is a draw hunt, named by its weapon, what may be taken and its dates. In Nevada's draw an application is given one random number plus extra random numbers equal to its bonus points squared, and tags go to the lowest numbers first, so more bonus points always improve a hunter's chance but never guarantee a tag. Residents and nonresidents have separate quotas.
What hunting Unit 022 is like
Unit 022 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks in its higher ground. Elevations run from roughly 3,800 feet up near 8,700 feet, and the bulk of the unit sits on gentle to moderate slopes, with only a small share classed as steep and none rugged, so a hunter can expect a lot of walking but not technical climbing. Lower elevations run mostly to shrub and brush with some grass and meadow, the mid elevations carry more grass and meadow mixed with shrub and brush, and the higher country adds a small amount of conifer and pinyon-juniper cover into that same shrub-and-grass mix. Hunting here is largely a glassing-and-walking proposition, covering open slopes and benches to locate deer before closing the distance on foot.
About 42 percent of Unit 022 is BLM public land, but ownership is not the same as access — some of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should not assume a straightforward walk-in. About 40 percent of the unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and not open to a state tag regardless of what a hunter draws; about 18 percent is private. Two recent fires have reshaped parts of the unit: the Perry fire burned about 51,000 acres (roughly 5 percent of the unit) back in 2018, and by the coming seasons that ground will be five to eight years post-fire — thick with regrowth and deadfall that can hide deer well. The Stallion fire burned about 41,000 acres (about 4 percent of the unit) in 2026, putting it in its first year after the fire, a period when deer may have shifted to ground with better water and feed and the burned ground itself is prone to flash flooding and slick ash after hard rain.
Four mule deer hunts are offered here across archery, muzzleloader and any-legal-weapon seasons, each with its own draw standing for residents and, where listed, nonresidents.
Mule deer hunts in Unit 022 (2026-27)
Each row is a hunt, told apart by its weapon, what may be taken and its dates. Draw difficulty is in words from the 2025 draw results: good, fair, long or very long odds, read for a hunter with no bonus points and for one holding 5 bonus points, in each pool. A hunt that covers only part of a unit says so under its name.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal deer | Resident | Nonresident | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 10 – September 9 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader | September 10 – October 4 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | October 5 – November 5 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
"No nonresident tags" means a nonresident cannot draw that hunt. "No draw odds shown" means that pool has tags for the hunt but too little draw history to put its odds in words. Odds are per application, never a promise, and a hunter with no bonus points can draw. A hunter needs no particular number of points for any hunt.
Archery · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · August 10 – September 9
This is the velvet-and-bachelor-group season, running through the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, when bucks still hold loose summer groups and keep a fairly predictable routine. Summer scouting and glassing pay off more than anything else: bucks feed into the morning then bed in shade for most of the day, so working shady pockets and north-facing slopes at first light can turn up a bedded buck to stalk at midday, and an evening glassing session often just marks him for a morning return rather than a stalk. Once velvet sheds late in the season the pattern holds but bucks may bed earlier and stay put until after dark, so a buck that seems to vanish is usually still tucked into a nearby crevice or draw. The hunt is for antlered mule deer only, and the draw runs very long odds at zero bonus points for both residents and nonresidents, improving to good odds for a resident holding bonus points and only to long odds for a nonresident holding the same.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
Spanning the tail of the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, this hunt catches bucks still following their late-summer bedding pattern early on before they start going increasingly nocturnal through October. Early in the season the same glassing approach works — shady pockets and north-facing slopes at first light, a stalk at midday, evening glassing to mark a buck for the morning — and bucks mostly stay near where they summered. As the season wears on, expect more deer to be moving at night and harder to catch on their feet during daylight. This is an antlered-buck-only hunt, and for a resident the draw runs very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to fair odds with bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – November 5
Covering the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, this season opens with bucks largely nocturnal and still close to their summer range, then shifts toward the end as some deer begin drifting toward rutting ground. The best approach is glassing the country between where bucks spent the summer and where they are likely headed for the rut, rather than expecting much daytime movement early on. It is an antlered-buck-only hunt taken with any legal weapon. For a resident the draw runs very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to long odds with bonus points; for a nonresident it runs very long odds at zero bonus points and remains very long odds even with bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,800–8,700 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 56% gentle · 33% moderate · 11% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~634 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the region.
Lower elevations
- Shrub and brush51%
- Other cover38%
- Grass and meadow11%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush59%
- Grass and meadow35%
- Other cover5%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush54%
- Grass and meadow43%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper3%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Unit 022. Fire perimeters show how much of the region burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Perry fire, 2018 — about 51,000 acres in the region (5%).
- Stallion fire, 2026 — about 41,000 acres in the region (4%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 42% of Unit 022 is public land by ownership — BLM. Ownership is not the same as legal access: public land can be reachable only across private ground, and some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM42%
- tribal land40%
- Other land<1%
- Private18%
About 40% of this unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and is not counted as huntable. Your tag does not open it.
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 89°F, lows around 58°F
- September — highs around 81°F, lows around 51°F
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 41°F
- November — highs around 54°F, lows around 32°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 45°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.9 in of snowfall
Unit 022 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a mule deer tag in Unit 022?
Yes, but only through Nevada's draw — there is no over-the-counter option for any of the archery, muzzleloader or any-legal-weapon hunts offered in this unit. A hunter applies for the specific weapon and season combination and is awarded a tag only if drawn.
How hard is it to draw a tag here, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, the two pools are separate and carry different odds. Draw standing is described in bands such as very long odds, long odds, fair odds and good odds rather than as numbers, and in general residents see better odds than nonresidents for the same hunt, with the any-legal-weapon nonresident hunt remaining very long odds even for an applicant holding bonus points.
Can a nonresident hunt Unit 022?
Yes. Nonresident draw odds are listed for the archery hunt and for the any-legal-weapon hunt, which runs October 5 to November 5, the same dates as the resident any-legal-weapon hunt. The muzzleloader hunt also offers a nonresident tag, but there is no odds model for that pool, so the page shows no odds for it.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work for this unit?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and a hunter earns one by applying unsuccessfully in a category or by purchasing one instead of applying in a given year. In Nevada's draw an application is given one random number plus extra random numbers equal to its bonus points squared, and tags go to the lowest numbers first, so more bonus points always improve a hunter's chance but never guarantee a tag. Points are lost when a hunter misses two consecutive years of applying in that category.
Which seasons here fall in the rut, and how much of the unit is public land available to a state tag?
None of the mule deer seasons in Unit 022 fall during the rut; they run through phases ranging from summer bachelor groups to early pre-rut staging. About 42 percent of the unit is BLM public land open to a state tag, while roughly 40 percent is tribal land that stays closed to public hunting regardless of what a hunter draws, and the remaining ground is private.
Data sources & methodology
- Nevada Department of Wildlife — 2026 Big Game Application FAQ — how the draw works, how bonus points are earned, squared and lost, and how many hunt choices an application takes
- Nevada Department of Wildlife — 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 big game hunting seasons (Commission Regulation 25-07) — season dates, weapons and legal animals for each group of units
- Nevada Department of Wildlife — Bonus point and application choice trends — the draw results behind the draw-difficulty words
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- PRISM Climate Group — 1991–2020 normals — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Draw difficulty is a qualitative reading of the modelled chance from the 2025 draw results for each pool, not published odds. Rut phases are borrowed regional timing, not Nevada-specific dates. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm every rule with the Nevada Department of Wildlife before you apply.